8 Ways for Teachers to Have Fun!

Teacher burnout seems to be happening at a much faster pace these last few years in the United States. With state-mandated testing, and a lack of autonomy, teachers have felt like they are losing control of the profession they love. To combat this, we have created a list of ways that teaching staffs across the nation can bring back FUN into their lives and help boost teacher morale. We all love our students, and now it’s time to make sure that we take time to celebrate and have fun as well! Below are our top ways to do this!

Staff Socials

Who doesn’t love an excuse to have fun? Staff socials are the way to go. Whether it be going to a movie together, going out for drinks, attending a sporting event, taking a painting and wine class, doing a staff scavenger hunt, or having a staff party, it is important to take time to be with your colleagues outside of school.

Treat Days

Who doesn’t love treats? Have a sign up sheet in the teachers’ lounge and have grade levels and departments sign up for a treat day each week throughout the school year. You can schedule them on paydays or days where you have staff meetings for a little extra motivation. It always puts a spring in our step when we walk into the lounge and see treats!

Extra Recess

You may wonder, “How will this benefit me?” Well, giving your students just 10-15 minutes of extra recess will not only make them want to work harder for you, but you deserve some fresh air as well! Take some time to be a kid again. Referee that soccer or kickball game. Or better yet, get involved and play. This always gets your students smiling and will put a smile on your face as well!

Buddy Classrooms

Another great way to have some fun is to establish a buddy classroom. For example, fifth grade buddies up with 2nd grade. In this case, once a month these students would get together and do an activity (bingo, word searches, craft project…) or just simply read together. It is great to see students interact with each other among grade levels. It is also a great time to connect with another grade level teacher as well.

Spirit Days

Who doesn’t love an excuse to not dress professional for at least one day? Schedule some spirit days throughout the school year. Some examples could be: school colors day, pajama day, stuffed animal day, hat day, wacky hair day, and even character day! These fun days scattered throughout the year are chances for you to dress differently and have fun with your students!

Exercise Classes

A trend that is becoming more popular is hosting exercise classes either before or after school for interested staff members. Some staff already are involved in various classes at local gyms and could join together to offer a class. What a great way to blow off stress and shed a few pounds all while having fun with colleagues!

Comfy for a Cause

Another great way to have fun as a staff while contributing to a local organization would be to schedule Comfy for a Cause days once a month. On this day, a local charity is picked and the educators donate money to this charity. Staff can wear comfy clothes for the school day. Not only is it a super comfortable day for educators, but it also feels good to help out local charities as well.

Teacher Morale Cards

Teachers need a daily boost and what better way to get that then from teacher morale cards. These cards are meant to inspire and provide some helpful reminders to teachers. You can copy them off, cut out, laminate, and make them easily into a flip book You can purchase them by clicking here.

Below are some examples of the cards you would receive. There are four cards to a normal 8.5 x 11″ piece of paper, so the actual size is larger than below.

Fun should be a part of your routine at school! We hope we provided you with at least one idea you can take back to your staff and come up with even more ways for teachers to have fun!

We would love to hear your ideas of how to bring fun back into your school as well. Please share!

Welcome to our site! We have been teaching for over 30 years at the intermediate grade level (4-6). We pride ourselves on creating lessons that are engaging, meaningful, and aligned with the Common Core Standards. We love teaching, and love sharing our resources with other teachers. We hope you can find some activities that you can use in your classroom!